Béziers Fair 2024: a year of work for trouble-free festivities

The Feria attracts a huge crowd every year and requires enormous logistics. Archive – GIACOMO ITALIANO-ML

For five days, from August 14 to 18, the city will live to the rhythm of its 54th Feria. The opportunity to take a look behind the scenes and the preparations for this great festival. Meeting with Marion Salvaire-Fugagnoli, director of culture, events and sports services at Béziers city hall.

A major event in the life of the commune, the Feria Béziers, whose 54th edition is scheduled this year from 14 to 18 August, mobilizes an incredible amount of energy and goodwill. It's quite simple, “it's the work of an entire year. Once an edition is finished, we take 15 days of vacation and, in September, we get back to it”, says with a big smile Marion Salvaire-Fugagnoli, director of culture, events and sports services at Béziers city hall.

This back-to-school debrief allows us to see what worked or not, to review the points to improve and even to start working on changes or new features to be made. Close-up on a tight organization.

1 Event security

From the beginning of the development of the program, the security system was examined closely, with the services of the sub-prefecture and the representatives of the national (PN) and municipal (PM) police. "From the month of April, we had an initial meeting with these bodies to, first of all, decide on the scope of the event and define the needs. It is truly a co-constructed project".

This 2024 edition is necessarily a little special with the Olympic Games, with staff mobilized in Paris, "and a reinforced Vigipirate plan for “attack” level. We therefore had to organize ourselves so that we could ensure the same level of security that we have always provided at the Feria despite the constraints". Fortunately, the Béziers dates coincide with the break between the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games.

"In addition, to the extent that there were national directives so that there would be little or no leave this summer in the ranks of the national police (PN), we did the same thing with the municipal police (PM). We thus find ourselves, at the cost of a great deal of organization, with the same workforce. That is, between PN, PM and private security, approximately 300 agents will be on the ground, every day, to secure the event.

2 A tightened perimeter

For five years, the perimeter of the festivities has been tightened. “Previously, it included the entire city center, from the cathedral to the arenas, but with marginal attendance at small, scattered points in the heart of the city”. Now, it focuses on the area between the Allées and the arenas, via the avenues Saint-Saëns and Claparède. “This provides real legibility of the perimeter. Everything that is entertainment, casitas, bodegas is concentrated there".

3 Hygiene vigilance

On the hygiene side, the services of the city and the prefecture of Montpellier work hand in hand. They supervise and carry out checks on the food offered. "The prefecture carries out at least one and we, every day, carry out several random checks at bodegas, casitas and restaurants. Depending on the extent of the deficiencies, if they are spoiled or poorly refrigerated, either the food is immediately thrown away or recommendations are made which are checked the next day. But from year to year, there are fewer and fewer foodstuffs that end up in the trash".

As for the necessary little corners, "we have increased the number of toilets and mobile urinals (in addition to the 7 toilet cubicles already in place on the public domain): with 12 urinal modules, each accommodating 5 people and 8 toilet units accommodating 2 to 8 people". Finally, glass and cardboard are collected every day, "or even several times a day".

4 Parking and traffic

The two police forces and the road service are involved in setting up a coherent system. “From the moment we have set up the different animation sites, we follow the recommendations made by the police and also the firefighters, so that they can intervene at any time. Then, it is the highway department that advises us on parking and traffic restrictions".

Knowing that in the latter case, the restrictions may change during the day or depending on the service : "From 7am to 11am, we will have ice or drink delivery people who will be able to pass ; as will garbage collectors. Health professionals will of course have accreditation but only at certain times…" The same goes for residents who live within the scope of the festivities. They must be able to leave and return home, but with some restrictions (two-way traffic or reversal of the direction of traffic on certain streets).

5 A free shuttle

But the safest way to escape the traffic jams or congestion in the city center or the stormed underground car parks is to park your car at the Raoul-Barrière stadium. During the five days of the Feria, a shuttle will connect the stadium parking lot (free) to the bottom of the Paul-Riquet aisles, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. Once an hour, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; then every 1/4 hour, from 4 p.m. to the end of the service. "We have been starting since last year at 11am, because there are activities all day long and we want the Feria to be a special time for the whole family& ;quot;. Let the party begin!

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